Customer Reviews

Rough Cut [VHS]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Almost 20 years before Catherine Zeta Jones played a woman out to catch gentleman jewel thief Sean Connery in the Hollywood blockbuster "Entrapment," the same scenario was played out by Lesley Anne-Down and Burt Reynolds - well, almost the same.
This more low key affair, though no less enjoyable, is the type of caper that Cary Grant might have played 20 years earlier and indeed Reynolds gives a serviceable impression of Grant within the opening minutes of the movie that Down disses by referring to it as a "Tony Curtis doing Cary Grant."
I have a soft spot for heist movies, through from the 1960s with it's "Italian Job" and "Oceans 11" through the 1970s with films such as "11 Harrowhouse" and "Diamonds" right up to the last decade with the aforementioned "Entrapment" and remakes of both "The Italian Job" and "Ocean's 11."
I think part of the fascination is in the shear audacity and genius that the criminals put into their schemes, it's part of what makes the "Mission Impossible" movies so entertaining.
So, what about this movie. In it Reynolds plays American gentleman jewel thief Jack Rhodes who is being doggedly pursued by Scotland Yard Inspector Cyril Willis (played wonderfully by David Niven - who himself is no stranger to gentleman jewel thief's having played one in the original "Pink Panther").
In an effort to nab Rhodes before his impending retirement Niven's character Willis blackmails English socialite and kleptomaniac Gillian Bromley (played by the incredibly sexy Lesley Anne-Down of "Sphinx" and "Great Traim Robbery" fame) in a plot to catch Rhodes in the act.
Willis has the reluctant Gillian feed Rhodes information on an upcoming $30 million diamond transfer from London to Antwerp intending to lie in wait of Rhodes.
With an entertaining cast of characters from a Nazi pilot to an African-American air traffic controller, Joss Ackland as a Dutch police inspector and even Pierce Brosnan's then-wife the late Casandra Harris as a flighty partygoer, this movie fairly zips along. It's got a great dry sense of humor and really does deserve a DVD release.
And, as with all good heist movies, there's a wicked twist at the end that caught me so of guard that I was reaching for the rewind button seconds after it happened. Yes, this movie really does satisfy.

Burt Reynolds plays Jack Rhodes, an immensely successful diamond thief. He is resolutely pursued by Chief Inspector Cyril Willis (David Niven) of New Scotland Yard who wants to nab him before his retirement.

CI Willis blackmails Gillian Bromley (Lesley Ann Down) in order to get to Rhodes and lure him into a trap using $30 million in diamonds as bait. Rhodes takes the bait, knowing it to be a trap because he easily seduces Gillian, and the battle begins.

You always know that Rhodes will get the diamonds, but the twist which develops which allows this makes for a brilliant ending. Well worth watching.

A good chance to see Burt Reynolds in non-"Smokey and the Bandit" mode. Reynolds is Jack Rhodes, a debonair American jewel thief who's pursued by dogged Scotland Yard investigator Willis (David Niven) while pursuing gorgeous kleptomaniac Gillian (Lesley-Anne Down) and a fortune in jewels, which all ends up in a complicated operation to glom the valuables in Amsterdam. Exceptionally diverting!

Reynold, Niven, and Down, all perform admirably in this funny, who's done what to who movie.
You will be surprised by the ending, almost as much as Leslie-Anne Down!
I'm still waiting for the DVD to come out-
A 5 star movie without a doubt!

I have been waiting for years for this little gem
to make it onto dvd.Burt Reynolds plays his smokey
and the bandit character in a tuxedo.Lesley Anne Down
is her stunningly beautiful self and David Niven is as
usual his brilliant self.Burt plays a retired never
jailed jewel thief.Niven is the inspector who would
like to nab Reynolds as his last act before retiring.
Niven uses Down as bait to lure Reynolds into a trap.
A large shipment shipment of jewels is scheduled to be
shipped and Niven wants Reynolds to try for it so he can
catch him.Sounds simple doesn't it? It isn't!! The plot
twists are terrific and will keep you fooled until the
very end.Watch for a terrific car chase using mini minors.
Enjoy !!

I will echo the comments of several reviewers -- "Rough Cut" is a great romantic mystery/comedy/adventure in the same class as the great Cary Grant movies like "Father Goose" and "Operation Petticoat", Walter Matthau's "Hopscotch", and "Romancing the Stone".

Burt is charming without overacting, Niven is classic, and Lesley-Anne Down is ... WOW. The supporting cast is good, the dialog fast and funny (especially note Niven's comment on the definition of "fair"), and the plot twist at the end is completely unpredictable.

As with many older movies, I suspect the lack of DVD is the result of some contractual squabble between studio and someone ... but compared to all the garbage that hits DVD 3 weeks after release it makes the inability to acquire quality movies like this all the more frustrating.

Get the VHS and copy if you can.

This movie is captivating from the beginning. The plotting of the 30 million dollar diamond jewel heist leaves the audience believing something even more clever than can be figured out from the very way it was proposed.
Every nuance and all of the sub plots and keeping everything on the exact time table was unique and so precise.
The end was a shocker and played out to the very last few moments and everything went off like a charm.
Throw in a love story in between the lines, absolutely clever and uniquely done. Bravo !!